Magnetic "Ropes" Connect the Northern Lights to the Solar Wind
Written by Nicholos Wethington
This discovery comes just in time to light up Christmas: new observations of the Northern Lights – a spectacular phenomenon that lights up the night sky – show them to be more intricate than previously thought.
The Northern Lights were observed by NASA's Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms (THEMIS), a system of ground cameras and five orbiting micro-satellites that work in combination to observe the phenomenon better than with a single satellite. This allowed scientists to map and understand the mechanisms of the Northern Lights better than before by giving them a 3D picture of the events.
The Northern Lights – or Aurora Borealis – occur when charged particles coming from the Sun interact with the Earth's magnetic field. THEMIS found evidence that there are magnetic "ropes" – long, wound magnetic field lines that resemble the braids of a rope – connecting the Earth's magnetic field with the solar wind. Particles are channeled through these ropes, which last a short time, and are focused in certain regions, boosting the energy of the Aurora Borealis.
"THEMIS encountered its first magnetic rope on May 20," said David Sibeck, project scientist for the mission at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD. "It was very large, about as wide as Earth, and located approximately 40,000 miles (70,000 km) above Earth's surface in a region called the magnetopause." The magnetopause is where the Earth's magnetic field meets the solar wind.
Electromagnetic explosions were also observed by THEMIS at the bow shock of the Earth's magnetic field. The bow shock is where the magnetosphere bunches up as the Earth travels through space, kind of like how the waves in the front of a boat moving through the water are closer together than those behind the boat.
Sibeck said of the explosions,"It is where the solar wind first feels the effects of Earth's magnetic field. Sometimes a burst of electrical current within the solar wind will hit the bow shock and – Bang! We get an explosion."
The results were presented at the meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco this month. THEMIS will continue to observe the Aurora Borealis over the next two years, taking measurements of ions, electrons and electromagnetic radiation in space. Scientists from the US, Canada, Western Europe, Russia and Japan are contributing to the study of Earth's own Christmas lights.
Original Source: NASA Press Release
Filed under: Earth, Earth Observation
December 21st, 2007 at 11:50 pm
Has there been any consideration of the magnetic ropes correlating to the "sprites" seen above the earths atmosphere during certain large thunder storms with major electrical activity?
December 22nd, 2007 at 2:53 am
Well it is about time we found out how to tap into this free energy. It's a long time since the genius Nicholas Tesler theorised such a source.
What research is going on in this field?
We'd better be careful that we don't make the Earth glow.
December 22nd, 2007 at 8:17 am
moving magnetic fields create an electric field. What is the electric field in the auroua doing? is there any lightning ? is lack of oxygen a factor?
December 22nd, 2007 at 2:01 pm
Dear Tony Trenton,
Whoa there!
First, the man's name was Nikola Tesla. Second, Tesla didn't theorize such a source. He didn't theorize, he engineered. He extracted "free energy" from the ground differential against an elevated freestanding conductor–but application was impractical as the output . He invented radio. He developed distance conduction of electricity via alternating current.
And last, please note that we are surrounded by free energy. Sunlight, wind, and geothermal energy are pure, free energy. But even with these well-developed technologies, the problem is in efficiently and economically harnessing the free energy.
The magnetic "ropes" which connect the solar winds to the Auroras are, please note, 40,000 miles above the surface of the Earth. The Space Shuttles orbit at about 300 miles. Think about that.
For information on research in this field, read the chapter on electromagnetism in a ninth grade science book.
December 22nd, 2007 at 4:00 pm
Geothermal energy has not been proven as
renewable- nobody knows if in the Earth there
is still the radioactive decay to power it or if
all we have is the residual heat which can run out. As for the solar wind- that energy
could be gathered by ships relying on electromagnetic solar sail propulsion to fly
in space and fitted with massive litium ion
polymer battery packs- if you can get such
a ship to fly
December 26th, 2007 at 9:34 am
My computer is mysteriously getting powered by charged particles channeled through magnetic ropes under my desk. What gives?
December 26th, 2007 at 10:16 am
Be careful where you put your feet. It is easy to disconnect the magentic ropes.
December 26th, 2007 at 10:17 am
Love that typo. Let it stand.
December 27th, 2007 at 8:20 am
Geothermal power has not been proven to be renewable?? Huh??? Even if we were simply living on residual heat it will last for thousands if not millions of years.
Iceland has been generating electricity from geothermal well for at least a hundred years.
December 27th, 2007 at 10:26 am
True, Kevin. I had a geologist for a neighbor who worked at a geothermal plant. They had trouble from their accountants because they could not get any depletion allowance like the oil and coal industries. It just goes on, and on, and on.
December 28th, 2007 at 12:17 pm
SUB: Earth"s Glow interlinks Magnetic Field-Flow Lines
Thanks to the above image.
I have projected this image with due acknowledgements in my key talk
HINDU COSMOLOGY IN CONSONANCE WITH MODERN SCIENCE- Feb 10 , 2007, Tirupati ,South India.
All Power Point explanations are available in
Cosmos Yoga Vision Series-III-Oct 2007 Application Copy rights, USA , Nov 2007
January 5th, 2008 at 6:20 am
If you think we might run out of geothermal energy, you better go plug up all those volcanoes becasue they sure are bleeding off a lot of it and it doesn't look to me like they are about to run out of energy..
March 20th, 2008 at 11:14 am
Q Name of God
1 Impossible for any thing moves in tow direction in one time is this write?? According to physics and comical law which not change is it ?only theory Is it
2 Any body moves round it self have one shadow why we see 3 kind off shadow now??
3 Why we see fig & mirage not see square hole moves if earth is moves round it self ??
4 If Helicopter stop in they sky why not nay country moves down??If so why we can not use movement off earth in traveling??
5 Why not relation shape between air plane speed & movement of earth
7 If we put a pen in the cup off water we see it broken is this law??
8 There is not gases in the moon photo for earth well be different light law ??
9 Why air port and N& S pole are fixed not change if earth moves??
10 Why can not see movement off a monotint from plane??
11 Who believe earth is moves with out proofs for old theory 600 years
12 Is all these discrepancies with all scientific law
All this proofs earth only moves in it orbit every day see how L & N happened how we see 3 shadow every day (fig)
If you have any notice send to me so .I. get many recommendation if so publish your recondition to get nay prize? Best regard I am from Yemen- Taiz post 4729 I am poor I have 4 discovery on UK patent www/patent.gov.uk Mohamed alagbary
12 New V.I. question in physics& chemical Geographic help publish